The present disclosure relates to a seat provided with an armrest, and particularly to an armrest included in a juvenile seat for use in a vehicle. More particularly, this disclosure relates to an armrest that is movable relative to a seat back in a juvenile seat.
Juvenile seats are used to seat and restrain children seated in vehicles. Many juvenile seats include seat bottoms and back and armrests. Such seats are adapted to use vehicle safety belts or other harnesses to restrain children seated on these seats.
According to this disclosure, a juvenile vehicle seat assembly includes a juvenile vehicle seat and an armrest coupled to the seat. The armrest is mounted for movement relative to the seat about a pivot axis between a raised position and a lowered position. The armrest is also movable between a locked position where the armrest is prevented from pivoting about the pivot axis, and an unlocked position where the armrest is permitted to pivot about the pivot axis between the raised and lowered positions.
An armrest mount of the juvenile vehicle seat assembly is coupled to the seat and to the armrest. The armrest mount includes first and second notches for receiving a portion of the armrest therein when the armrest is in the locked position. The first notch receives a portion of the armrest when the armrest is in the raised, locked position, and the second notch receives a portion of the armrest when the armrest is in the lowered, locked position.
In illustrative embodiments, the armrest of the juvenile vehicle seat assembly includes a base having an outer wall and a top wall coupled to the outer wall to cooperate with the outer wall to define a cavity formed to receive the outer wall of the armrest mount therein. A lug coupled to the outer wall of the armrest provides the portion of the armrest received within one of the first and second notches of the armrest mount when the armrest is in the locked position.
The seat assembly further includes a biasing mechanism coupled to the armrest and the armrest mount. The biasing mechanism includes a compression spring which biases the armrest to the locked position in a direction toward a side wall of the seat.
The outer wall of the armrest mount includes outwardly extending perimeter teeth. Further, the outer wall of the base portion of the armrest includes inwardly extending perimeter teeth to mate with the outwardly extending teeth of the armrest mount. The armrest mount also includes one or more anti-rotation tabs to prevent rotation of the armrest relative to the armrest mount beyond the raised and lowered positions. Anti-rotation tabs are coupled to the outer wall of the armrest mount and extend beyond a top surface of the outer wall in a direction away from the side wall of the seat.
The armrest mount further includes a central hub positioned along the pivot axis and spaced-apart from the outer wall of the armrest mount. The central hub is received, at least in part, through an aperture of the base of the armrest. The compression spring of the biasing mechanism is positioned about the central hub of the armrest mount to engage the base of the armrest at a first end and to engage a top end of the central hub at a second end.
Features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.